This site is dedicated to educate anyone who will listen to what is really behind the curtains of the Twelve Tribes. If you or a love one is considering interacting with this group, please read through this website and the attached links first.

How do you know if a group is a cult?

Thursday, February 21, 2008

The following testimony was made in 2006 and was part of an ABC radio program with Rachel Kohn. No matter where they are in the world, the affect they have on an individual's life is very consistent.See if you know anyone in the Asher Community picture to the right.

Rachael Kohn: What was the group that you decided to join?

Guest: The group’s known as the Twelve Tribes, or the Community, they’re also known as. They’re out near Picton, but they’re quite common around several festivals in Sydney going under the name of The Common Ground Café.

Rachael Kohn: Is it an international group?

Guest: Yes, it’s all around the world. It’s currently located in about eight different countries.

Rachael Kohn: And is it a Christian group?

Guest: They kind of claim that they are Christians, but when you really get into their doctrine, they certainly are not Christians. In fact they believe that Christianity is led by Satan and that anyone who truly believes in Jesus or Yashua, as they call him, will leave Christianity and join the Twelve Tribes.

Rachael Kohn: Now the Twelve Tribes obviously refers to the 12 Tribes of Israel, so do they claim to be the original descendants of the 12 Tribes?

Guest: They don’t claim to be the original descendants but they do claim that they are God’s chosen people on earth, brought here to bring about the 12 Tribes, which is what God originally intended with the Jews.

Rachael Kohn: You were Christian, an active Christian. What attracted you to this group?

Guest: What attracted me to this group was the fact that they didn’t appear to be hypocrites. They claimed that they loved one another and they showed this love by their life and the way they looked after and cared for each other, and I was really taken back by the amount of commitment that these people seemed to live their life by.

Rachael Kohn: You seem to be implying that you were disenchanted with Christianity or the church that you’d been going to.

Guest: Yes, the church I was going to, they said all the right things, but I felt there was very little outside of the church that made people who’d claimed to be Christian, any different to anyone else in the world. They were just like everyone else in society, they just put a label of ‘We’re forgiven because Jesus died for our sins’ on top of their life.

Rachael Kohn: So what were the features of the group that you joined, the Twelve Tribes, that made you think this is the real thing?

Guest: The features that really drew me was the fact that they truly seemed to live the life they proclaimed. They truly seemed to love one another, they weren’t hypocrites in what I saw before I joined.

Guest: Everything was shared in common, everybody worked for the community, nobody had anything that they called their own. No-one got paid.

When we went out and did jobs for the outside, it went into a communal fund, and unless you were part of the people who distributed the money, you never had money unless it was given to you. But everything was provided for you, your food, your clothing, the children’s education, which was done at the farm out at Picton, cars, everything, medical expenses.

So although you didn’t have money, you were provided for.

Rachael Kohn: You were there for what? Over two years? What prompted you to leave it?

Guest: What prompted me to leave in the end was the hypocrisy that I saw in Christianity was even more so in the Twelve Tribes, because although they would point at Christianity and say, ‘Look at them, they are not loving one another’, what I found within the community, once you really learnt what they were doing is there wasn’t a whole lot of love there, there was a whole lot of fear and there were the people with the haves and the have-nots. And to quote Animal Farm, ‘We are all equal, but some are ore equal than others’, and that’s exactly what I saw in the Twelve Tribes.

The leaders cushioned their nest, so to speak, and although they weren’t rid in money or material goods, they had all the nice jobs. They had access to the cars, they could go visit their families, they got to go on business trips, whereas the less fortunate members of the group, they were the ones who just went out there and worked really, really hard, day after day.

Rachael Kohn: Were you discouraged from having contact with your family? You parents, for example?

Guest: I was certainly controlled with my contact, and I ended up being sent over to America to try and get away from my family’s influence over me.

Rachael Kohn: So you felt they were controlling your life?

Guest: The Twelve Tribes were certainly controlling my life, in every aspect. I mean they were controlling my physical existence, they were controlling what I did day to day, they were controlling me financially, and in the end they were also controlling my wife and getting information out of her to help control me even more.

Rachael Kohn: But they didn’t seem to control your mind, altogether, you were still able to discern things like hypocrisy and that kind of thing, that prompted you to leave.

Guest: Yes, I think I was fortunate in that I joined the Twelve Tribes for all the right reasons, because I wanted to be a committed Christian, and the longer I was there, the more hypocrisy I could see, and being a fairly strong character, I wasn’t afraid of being cut off from the group. And I also knew that I had the love of my family outside the group, no matter what happened. I always had somewhere to go, I wasn’t going to be left on the streets.

Rachael Kohn: Did your parents actually help you when you were starting to have doubts? Were they an important factor for you coming out?

Guest: The most important factor for me coming out with my parents, was firstly they went to a lot of trouble to understand cults, so when I did come out, they understood what I’d been through. They were working hard to try and get me out, but I managed to do that myself.

But the biggest thing was, I knew that I had unconditional love from them. Now the Twelve Tribes claim that they’re the only ones who truly know how to love, but when I asked my parents for help, they were there. When I asked my brother for help, he came over and got me, and I knew I had that, I always had that to stand on.

So the Twelve Tribes couldn’t scare me like that and make me capitulate to what they wanted me to do, because I knew that at the end of the day, I had my family support on the outside.

Rachael Kohn: What did they say would be the consequences for you if you left the group?

Guest: They didn’t tell me anything directly, because the leaders weren’t that good at making any arguments with me, because I’d call them on their bluffs. But there were plenty of stories going round about people who left who turned gay.

There was a couple of boys who left who grew up in the cult, they had a car accident and their mother was actually told that that was God’s mercy on the boys to kill them before they got into more sin. So it certainly wasn’t encouraged for people to leave, and if you did leave, firstly you were going to Hell and secondly that you’d probably go there a lot quicker than everyone else. That God would punish you for leaving.

Rachael Kohn: You had a wife and children. What happened to them?

Guest: My 3-1/2 year old son came with me when we got kicked out, and that was over in Winnipeg.

Rachael Kohn: In Canada?

Guest: In Canada, Winnipeg in Canada. So we were a fair way from home, and the group who told me they would always look after me and care for me, kicked me out on the street with $100, which doesn’t get you too far when you’re trying to get back to Australia.

So my wife and my other two children came back to Australia about two weeks after I got back here. I arranged to meet my wife to discuss why I’d left and to encourage her to leave with me because my family unit was very, very important to me, and she dropped the kids off to me, listened to me for half an hour, didn’t say a word, and then left. And that was almost the last time we ever saw her.

Rachael Kohn: How do you explain her staying there so long, giving up her husband and her three children?

Guest: I believe that she’s been coerced into believing that if she leaves, then her children will go to Hell, and that if she truly loves her children, the only hope they have is if she stays, and God will reward her obedience and bring her children back to her. But if she leaves, then she’s condemning her children to Hell. So she’s scared to leave for her children’s sake.

Rachael Kohn: Did she ever communicate that to you, or is that your surmise?

Guest: That’s my surmise, based on things that I heard in the community. But I’ve tried to speak to her many times, but she couldn’t open up to me. She was scared to talk to me, but I think she was scared to listen too much to me because I had so many good arguments as to why she shouldn’t be there, that it may cause her to stumble and leave as well. So she felt it was better to cut off all contact rather than continue to contact me, in case she did end up leaving.

Rachael Kohn: Well you had the help of your parents and their concern. Did she have help from hers?

Guest: Unfortunately her parents didn’t go to the extent that my parents went to educate themselves about the group that we were in, and how cults actually work. So when we got out, they were quite happy that I’d left with the children, but saying that she’s an adult, she’s smart enough to think for herself, she seems very happy there, and as such, she’s still there four years later.

Rachael Kohn: What do you think made you vulnerable to a group that exercised such control over your life?

Guest: I think what made me vulnerable was wanting to be a better Christian and not be a hypocrite, but I also had a lot of pressure from my wife, knowing that if I didn’t join, she was going to leave me, and I wanted more than anything to keep our family together. So I was willing at that stage to give anything a go.

But having said that, I believe that everyone at some stage in their life is vulnerable to these sorts of groups, and they’re not necessarily religious groups, they can be self-help or business groups, or meditation groups or whatever. It’s we at one stage, we’re all vulnerable to the right message.

Rachael Kohn: You’ve used the word ‘cult’ a few times. What do you think is the distinguishing factor that makes you use that term with respect to the 12 Tribes?

Guest: I use that term for the Twelve Tribes because they truly do try to control your emotions, they try to control your spirituality, they control you financially, they control you physically, and they certainly manipulate you into staying through fear and coercion, and so I’m quite comfortable calling the Twelve Tribes a cult. Also if you meet these people, they are really nice, they are really lovely and genuine because they do truly believe in what they are saying to you.

So I know many people who are listening to this will say, ‘I’ve met the Twelve Tribes at their Common Ground Café at the Woodford Folk Festival, and they’re not like that at all.’ But until you live with them and leave and be able to analyse your experience, you’re not in a position to be able to say ‘These are just nice happy people’. It’s taken me many years to be able to determine what this group was really about.

Rachael Kohn: Isn’t it just the case that some people really like a tightly organised style of life, and others jack up against it?

Guest: No, it’s not that simple. For example, take my ex-wife. Before she joined the group, she would do anything for her children. Now she’s in the group, she hasn’t seen them for over three years, because they have changed her mind into thinking that it is best that she doesn’t see her children that she has nothing to do with them.

We had a fairly good marriage I believe before we joined, but she was willing to dob on me. These groups will change your mind in the way you think, and they will change your value system, and they will exploit you for everything they can, and then when you’ve got nothing left to give, they’ll spit you out on the streets, and say it’s your fault.

Rachael Kohn: And do you reckon that’s what happened to you?

Guest: Fortunately I do. I’ve done a lot of reading and study and been quite introspective, for a number of years. I’m still going through things of course, but I’m certainly well on my way to understanding my experience and being able to understand how these groups operate, and understand why other people get caught up in the same trap.

Rachael Kohn: Has CIFS, the Cult Information and Family Support group, been of help to you?

Guest: They were a great help to my family as a starting point, as to what’s going on, why did my son just give up his business and leave and join this group without telling us much. And it gave them a starting point to get the information they needed to understand what I was going through so they knew what they needed to do to help me.

Rachael Kohn: Do you have a sense now that you want to help others?

Guest: Yes, I do have that sense, and if anyone needs any help or even someone to talk to, I’m always open to doing that.

Rachael Kohn: It’s been great talking to you.

Guest: Thank you.

Rachael Kohn: The name of my guest has been suppressed to ensure the anonymity of his children

We have shown what can happen in a system that separates itself into classes by the methods of favoritism being the catalyst of self-destruction of a society. This formula, whether purposely carried out or inadvertantly, is of the flesh and not the Spirit (at least, not the right spirit) and culminates in not a matter of possible destruction, but the invetible destruction of the Body. Once the oversight is realized, it must be corrected in order to draw continual life from the Holy Spirit in order for the Body to grow at a pace that heaven desires. It won't correct itself like a Capitalist, Wall Street market "correction" does. We carry a far more valuable product; ore gleaned from the mines of heaven and it's loving principles of "The Life", and they must be protected by proper administration by leaders that are truly inbued with the Spirit, lest they perish and the Body with them. As with all spiritual principles, whether applied to the individual or the Body, if not moving forward, it begins regression; there is no "gray area", no 'fence to sit on'.

In making decisions on an individuals actions, or inactions, whatever they may be that warrants correction, we must remember not to be too harsh in our decisions. Remember that justice has a twin sister; mercy. We can't have true justice without mercy. When one entered into the Sanctuary and into the Holy of Holies, it was the Mercy Seat that sat above the ark with it's covering cherubs that the eye was drawn to; it was the center of attention. The ark with it's contents of the Law written on stone (The Father), the pot of Manna (Yahshua), and Aarons Rod that blossomed(the Holy Spirit; Jn 16:7-11 that brings comfort, instruction and correction in order that we may bear fruit) were all under the Mercy Seat because God extends longsuffering mercy to his wayward children that He may save as many as He can before judgement falls on those who would not recieve mercy.

We must remember not to be too hasty in passing judgement on someone, remembering that it was the "goodnes of God" that led us to repentance (Rom. 2:4). We can't forget from what depths of sin that He delivered us from in His mercy. We need to remember this in dealing with those in the Body and also on how we view those without. Our Father gets our attention by showing us that sin and sinners will be cast into the lake of fire, and after getting our attention by this, He then reveals Himself to us and we become a people that follow by recognition of His love and enter into His co-operative life giving system; His Body, "on earth as it is in heaven". It is the continual revelation of His loving care and ways that draw us into continual obediance to Him and love towards each other and even brings us to the yearning to love and reach our fellow man who stands in opposition to us, not the threat of the lake of fire. "I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn thee"(Jer.31:3). It's true that the lake of fire awaits those who walk in unbelief, but it's to be the backround not the forefront of what constrains us to obey heaven's principles.

The Roman Catholic Church and her daughters of Protestantism use that terror/fear method of control because they have to to keep membership alive because they are attached to the worlds concept of worshiping wealth rather than our Father's way of the Body whose members give their lives for each other and make use , ("make friends of the unrightous mammon") of the world, but do not live for it and worship it. Those that do focus their lives on material wealth and money are of those that worship the "golden image" (the "Image to the Beast", riches/wealth) as those who did on the plain of Dura in Daniel 3. Except for those in our Father's true Body, the Twelve Tribes, the whole world's inhabitants will be under the church/state system as was the government of Babylon (the "Mark of the Beast" type system) of which the USA is the world leader and claims to be a "Christian Nation" and sends it's Christian people to kill to protect and further Capitalist dominance to the detriment and destruction of innocent men, women and children.

Often times it is unconfessed sins of ourselves that causes us to be harshly judgemental and less merciful to others as to their flaws in character. This has an especially negative effect if it is the hidden sins of a leader that is presently walking in sin/unbelief or has unconfessed sin of lengthy duration even. In order to recieve forgiveness, from heaven or on earth, personal sins must be personally confessed and forgiven by those we ask it of and public sins must be publically confessed and forgiven by our askance of the Body if our consciences would be clear and the blessings of heaven be unobstructed. If a leader is engaged in and therefore has hidden and unconfessed sin, then the evil one will use them as a conduit for his means. If any suggestions or teachings have come from and were incorporated into the Body during the time of the hidden sins of the leader, then they must be closely examined to see if they are of our Father as the evil one always mixes truth with error in order to pass his lies on to us.There were additional burdens put upon the people of Israel prior to Yahshuas appearing that did not come frm heaven's courts. The corrupt leaders instituted the wearing of phlacteries, being the attachment of scripture to ones garments or banded to ones head in little boxes for example. They had no salvic value to change the heart. They gave an outward appearance of piousness; a false presentation of rightousness(do not misconstrue this as applying to modesty of dress or the instruction of not wearing of worldly jewelry/apparel which is unbecoming of our Father's people). Another example is the overbearing traditions that were imposed on the people in their Sabbath observances and in their every day living also. As time went on their God given liberties were smothered by various exactions of human invention that made life a yoke and a burden that in turn caused a misrepresentation of the true character of G-d. Rightousness is portrayed in the words and actions of Yahshua's people, a revelation of what is in the heart, not outward appearances of the wearing of items designated as holy. The Roman Catholic Church, with all it's rites, relics, and rituals, is a living example of that deceptive practice. The evil one always seeks to pile on outward, legalistic burdens of this type in order to make the following of Yahshua a distastful experience as he unrelentlessly cracks his firey and tyrannical whip across the backs of those who would hope for salvation in God, but can no longer see His love due to these devices of the evil one. "Do all this or you will burn" is the song he sings to control and strike ungodly fear into the hearts of his victims.

Our Father began this work of forming the Twelve Tribes and it has had it's trials and still will as it progresses. Two of the main principles of the Body; the first being of members that lay down their lives for each other in love, and the second, that the Body moves in total unity under the blessing of heaven is what made it possible to establish the Twelve Tribes. Yoneq was indeed called to serve towards this effort. When you look at the "big picture" with all the trials through the years and encumbrances of human fraility and spiritual opposition, he has done well, very well, but he is not perfect, he is not infallible, he is not Yahshua. There are things that are said under "the Annointing" and then there are thigs that are said by Yoneq as was the case of Paul when he declaired about something he said being of "permission and concession and not of a command or regulation" (1Cor.7:6). We do err to judge him too harshly if something of minute circustance appears inconsistant or unclear to our understanding now and again. All the "bumps in the road" will level out in time. We will not know until Yahshua comes of the deep trials and burdens that he has carried on his heart while moving steadfastly to faithfully carry on in his appointed task.

There has been much sacrifice and hard work to build the Twelve Tribes. Along the way there have been some indescretions and injustices commited, but that does not mean that this work was not of God's design. As in all of our Father's plans and directions that He gives to His people there is a spirit of opposition at work to derail or destroy the movement. The evil one works tirelessly to corrupt people of influence and leadership in the movement because if he causes them to fall, or to incorporate false teachings, then it is his plan to bring many down in their train and ultimately the whole camp. There is a battle going on, and just as in the evil governments battles of the world, there is collateral damage, and so with us; some innocents are hurt, misconceptions happen, people get impatient, and injustices occur at times, etc. In our Father's plans, He and His multitudes also work tirelessly to further and complete His purposes, and because, as the Bible record reveals, there are opposing forces and God has to work on this side of eternity with people who are at times erring, imperfect and faulty, and there will be people and things that need to be corrected. We need to remember that it was through the door of mercy that we came to obediance. Let's be careful not to close that door to others in our exuberance to further the work. Our consciences will be pricked as to who or what we need to make ammends to. If we sin, we have an advocate with the Father because He is merciful and is fully aware of the makeup of His children and the pitfalls that they are prone to fall into.We should harbor this same spirit towards all of mankind because, since the fall of man in the garden, the whole concept and work of our Father towards us has been, full and foremost, the work of His undying love; mercy.

To those who have come into circumstances where you feel that an oversight or injustice has been done, don't despair, don't run from your trial. Don't fall into doubt as to question whether this commonwealth has been of our Father. Bear your burdens patiently and trust in our Fathers providence. "There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able..." He, in His providence, brings all of His Body into trial. Leaders as well as other members of the Body will be placed on the potters wheel where our marred selves will be broken and will be reformed by whatever circumstances our Father sees is best for us so that we may be of best service to Him and for each other. Some of us have to go through a different means of rebuilding and be hammered out on the anvil of His choosing depending on whatever habits and traits of character we had formed outside of the Body. "Beloved think it not strange concerning the firey trial which is to try you as if some strange thing happened to you".... All of those in the Body must pass through the fire and have the dross removed. No one gets through unscathed. If you can't run with the footmen, then how will you run with the horses.

I decided not to return to the Twelve Tribes, even though I have been visiting as a former member and like the people and culture in many ways.One of my good friends and a Tribes shepherd said that I "have been touched by Satan" because of various criticism I have read about the Tribes and testimonies of former members.Another newer member had bad things to say about my 15 year old son who is shy and doesn't like the communities that much. In every community there's usually one jerk with a fried brain..Make no mistake about this: they truly believe black people should still be servants to white people IF they have not joined the Tribes.Black people within the Tribes are very loved and equal, but are not to show the disrespect and arrogance of their ancient ancestor Cham, one of Noah's sons.The Tribes clearly taught me when I was a member that it was a good thing that Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. were killed.This is what is really disturbing about the Tribes, you have really nice people, mostly, and a wonderful culture in many ways, but then thrown into the mix are some really messed-up teachings, definite racism applying to Jews and blacks OUTSIDE the Tribes, hitting children with thin rods as young as six months and by any adult member (which further opens the door to potential sexual abuses, which, Yes, have occurred.) The Tribes wants children safe to be sure, but communal living and members hitting other people's children in private make abuse easier to occur. When really bad things do happen and are exposed, the police are rarely called. The Tribes has been a sad confusing chapter of my life that's hard to forget in positive and negative ways. I wish Tribes members the best, I like most of them very much. I know by writing this and other statements, the Tribes will accuse me of spreading "lies and slander" but at the same time, they are always saying people "should not let their human voice be silenced." I want them to have a life of love, and not be exhausted and run down. To continue to love God and even leave if they wish and not fear Death, or to stay and be happy.I do not think think they are "the only true work of God in 1900 years", or "the only place where God's spirit dwells", far from it!But I love them, and wish I could be friends with them, without them thinking they are right about everything, and everyone else is under the control of Satan.

Some may find this very strange, but as an ex-member who has been especially caustic toward the communities at times and written very critical words, I plan to return to live at the communities in the near future.

I'd appreciate it if the "89 Reasons For Leaving" that I wrote in approx. 1998 be removed from this site, for it does contain untruths that I wrote in anger.

I wish all the very best

I have not found a more meaningful daily life where people love God and Yahshua, and each other, and welcome others.

Perhaps some of you will now consider me an enemy, I don't know. But I just want what's best for each person.

I know my brothers and sisters in the communities still love me. And I want that kind of love also, and not waste any more years of my life.Eric Christopherson

Thank you so much for revealing the truth about the underpinnings of this organization. I don't use the word "cult" lightly; however, after reading extensively about 12 Tribes, I believe it is a cult (I've also studied the Jonestown massacre in depth).

Although I never was in the slightest swayed by the bizarre beliefs of this group, I did enjoy visits to one of their deli's. The friendliness was lovely, although it was always obvious the intent was to "win" you over to their beliefs.

It's sad to see people exhausted from working all the time and not having time with their children and partners. What is more sad is people giving up their "right" as a human to have their own thoughts or feelings about life issues - the ability to question and reason.

Yet, what makes it less possible for me to return for the lovely atmosphere is something more than sad, it's reprehensible - the abuse of children. Don't fool yourself, it is happening on a daily basis.

Your site is remarkable and deeply appreciated. It must take courage for former members to speak the truth and claim their lives back.

thanks for uploading this, yes i happen to know someone in this community photo. my ex husband. we went to picton 8 years ago, he stayed i left with our 2 year old boy. havnt heard from him since. i believe he has remarried. the 'leader' israel is truly warped. i have been so busy raising my son, studying and working, i hardly have time to think of how much of a life change it has been, but am taking time to reflect now. i feel terrible for the people even eating at their cafes.

I feel sorry for those who have no idea of the inner workings of this sadistic trie of indviddualals with their hidden agendas. I know that this may be hard to absorb but Twelve Tribe is nothing less than an an international bioterrist cell with tenacles around the world. Since your hezrt is truly seeking the one true creator-he had to remove you from that environment before your naivete completely blinded you. Get ready for the truth becsuse it is going hit you guys like a ton f bricks

Greetings fellow heretics and infidels. I am a Ex Tribe member. I want people to know the truth based on my own experience. First I most say the Tribes defiantly have more right then v anything that's out there, I now because I've looked and done my homework, but the problem is the Tribes still don't recognize certain commandments that Yahshua gave to be obeyed if we love Him. Chiefly Luke 17 verse 4, which they told me that they could not do, because if they did " people would keep sinning over and over again and just say I repent and that would bring defilement into t he church" Act chapter 3 verse 22 thur 23 clearly says if we don't obey EVERYTHING He said, then we will be cut off. So knowing this and knowing in the end days there will be Powerful Delusions with all living signs and wonders ( 2 thessolonians chap 2) meaning a faith that looks real but is watered down. The second s error I found was that they teach that the youth can masterbate to relieve their sexual tensions. I found this to be in contradiction to the verse that says, All who belong to Christ have crucified their flesh with ALLits desires. Thirdly they also teach that women can talk freely at their gatherings when Pual said they are to be silent in Timothy. Personally I had no problem with it but it still contradicted what Timothy said. I think it's important to note these things because Pual warned in Galatians that if we are self come to you or even angels teaching Anything contrary then let him be Eternal accursed. I think these are the dangers of any delusion with the powerful deceptions Pual warned about. It was Jesus himself that said, " Not all who say Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do my will" And obviously obeying all His commandments is what it means to do His will. I found it exstremly Sad knowing these things because as a Ex member I can't find anything close to what the Tribes believe that are profoundly true. Like a kingdom on earth as there is in heaven and how He is coming back for a spotless bride ( Ephesians 5:26, a Rev 19 verse 7) and unless this bride is raised up He can't return. What better way to keep this from happening then to create a appearance of it happening through a watered down version that don't teach obeying all of His commandments and control it. This is happening on a massive scale spiritual and especially politicly. As the whole world gets more and more under the control of the evil one as the Scriptures teach. It's my hope that someday the tribes will recognize this full obedient attitude and not reason away any of His commands as Christians do alout more like Luke 14 verse 33 in particular. And id any tribe members are reading this know what Yahshua said when He said "Be wise as sherphents and harmless as doves" the restoration of all mankind may depend apoun it. Respectfully. ....A ignored lowly Ex Tribe member, who wants real salvation. I hope you find Him turely For the devil himself is transformed into angels of light, so it's no wonder that he himself and his servants will appear as a angel of light. Best wishes.

Place a checkmark beside all items that characterize the group in question. If you check many of these items, and particularly if you check most of them, you might consider examining the group more closely.

The above check list comes from Dr. Michael Langone, editor of Cultic Studies Journal, and often characterize manipulative groups. Dr. Langone suggest prospective recruits and family members compare these statements to the group. If one or more of these apply to your group you may have a cause for concern. I say, if all apply as in the case of the Twelve Tribes, you should repent (turn 180 degrees) and run.

Discussion Board

Would you like to leave the Twelve Tribes but don"t know where to go?

If you were considering joining the TT, did the information here change your mind?

You can live a happy life outsite of the Twelve Tribes

"I realized today that it's exactly 3 years since I left the community. There have been times that I have really struggled because healing is a much slower process than indoctrination but I can finally say yes, you can leave and live a happy life."

Ex-member

Video Testimonies

The following are videos from a very brave women who documents her story on You-Tube - Ully is from Germany but she lived in a TT community in France. Listen carefully how she is "love-bombed" when first arriving to the TT.

Twelve Tribes Propaganda - French Video

Yoneq - Just another brother?

"We must see that it is Yoneq's spirit holding our community together. If we resist then it is hard to function in community. Resistance makes life miserable. Subtle rebellion disables Yoneq from functioning as an apostle. If we pick apart our leaders it makes it hard to rule. The work will go forward with cooperation. But if you resist authority the work ceases. We must be loyal to Yoneq and his anointing. " -Apostolic Workers Meeting 6/13/88

Peacemaker Video

Are you just unsubstantial chaff?

"Some leave, of course. Some end up blaming everyone but themselves for it. But most stay. This life is a threshing floor, specifically designed by our Father to separate the wheat from the chaff. Beat it, throw it up in the wind...the wheat falls at our Master's feet and stays here, while the wind blows the unsubstantial chaff away." - David Derush, Internet Voice of the TT

Lake of the Ozarks CO Mealtime - USA

Loneliness

“You will find yourself looking forward to the Friday night meals and the short time after breaking of bread because you are just so incredibly lonely, and these are the few times you'll have to spend sitting and talking to the people you live with. The rest of the time you will be working or at gatherings or trying to make up for the continuous lack of sleep.”Ex TT Member

Community in Germany

Free to love and be loved?

"When you go to a friend and pour out your heart because you just found out that the shepherd you trusted with your life has lied to you, a friend would talk it through with you and give you advice not pretend to sympathize with you and then go and betray your confidence by going straight to another shepherd and telling them exactly what you said resulting in you once again being hauled over the coals and being told you just need to die. Of course nothing was said to the shepherd who lied."- Ex TT Member

Merrymakers Dance - USA

Trust?

“After your baptism you will discover that much of the spontaneous worship that attracted you to the community is contrived. Your told to give a resounding "Amen" to a few who dominate the gatherings with their long winded intellectual musings completely disconnected from the reality of the life. You'll discover you've put your trust in people who tell you they are spiritual and will shepherd you into a spiritual life only to find yourself ignored and avoided and any problems you have completely trivialized.”Ex TT Member

Lake of the Ozarks CO - USA

Deception may be moral?

“Lying is more than intentional deception. Telling the truth may cause serious harm to an innocent party. Such intentional deception may be moral and must be determined by judging if someone has a moral right to know the truth for justice sake” - Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

Vista California Community - USA

Blind Obedience?

“In making these statements we are not interested in seeking revenge or trying to be a disgruntled ex member but to inform people so they can make a choice based on facts. We know that the Tribes will never change as long as Elbert Eugene Spriggs is the sole uncontested leader. Spriggs may write new teachings or they may live in new places or they may wear their hair different or wear different clothes but the basic theme will be obedience to him and his teachings.”James Howell Spriggs personal secretary for 10 years - 1/23/93

San Sebastian Community - Spain

"Before I joined I asked several key questions to the elders. They lied to me because they wanted me to join and I was not able to "handle the truth yet". They told me Yoneq was just another member. What I was told when I left was that Yoneq was considered to be equal to the apostle Paul and as such his teachings were considered on par with the Bible. Before I was kicked out and left on the otherside of the world in a hotel that sold pornography on the front counter (the hotel was chosen by an elder) I asked many of my concerns about the TT teachings to many of the "elders'. I received answers like "I find it really hard to believe myself' or "if you don't have faith then cling onto somebody else's faith". That is not where I wanted to be after living there for 20 years." - Ex TT Member

Rutland Vermont Festival - USA

"The teachings the Tribes follow are like a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma." - Ex TT Member

Lancaster NH Community - USA

“We don’t want people to destroy their lives like we did. Most Tribes members know James and I- or at least our names. We don’t want people to waste many years in the Tribes like us and not enjoy a normal life and relationship with their natural families. The normal life that people enjoy previous to joining the Community will be destroyed and turned upside down.”Michael Painter, Former Fourth in Command of TT after spending 15 years in TT – 1/23/93

Common Loaf Bread Stand - UK

Do you need to be "programmed"?

“Who will suffer unjustly by your knowledge? We must judge these things right so our conscience can be programmedright.” Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

Stentwood Farm UK

Friends? Love?

"Just because we left does not mean we are insincere. I too loved the life I had in the community I still do and I miss it. everyday it's on my mind I can't let go of it. I really felt like I'd found my true home at last, however, after a while I came to realize the life I heard about was not the life I was living. the people I lived with were sadly not the best friends I ever had. Friends are people who love you for who you are without wanting to change everything about you, you can go to friends when you're having a bad day pour out your heart and know that they're going to give you a hug and tell you everything’s going to be ok not summon the shepherds and spend hours lecturing you that you just need to die."- Ex TT Member

Buenos Aires Community

Not telling the truth is not a lie?

“We are obligated by our conscience and the Holy Spirit to always tell the truth. What constitutes the truth? Not telling the truth (in certain cases) is not a lie then. Truth is truth. Not telling the truth to someone who doesn't deserve the truth isn't lying.” - Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

Curitiba Farm - Brazil

Is Yoneq at War with the U.S. Government?

“Will the government have right to know when we flee? We aren't obligated to them - do we have to ask permission? There is a vast difference between concealing a matter and telling a lie and deliberately misleading the enemy during warfare.” - Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

Sus House

Not telling the truth glorifies God?

“It is the glory of YHWH to conceal a matter. Prov. 25:2 This adds discretion and wisdom to our life and the apostolic teaching.” .” – Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

Asheville NC - USA

Devotion to Family?

“Although it has been difficult at times since I have been "in the world" and there have been times when I wish I had more time with him, I would not trade the time I have had with my son for the life of the TT. My opinion is that the ways of the TT are very hard on families. They hold them in high regard in word but not in deed. Although there are some that would say that I am just a disgruntled ex-member who has a skewed view of the way things were, that is my experience. While I appreciate that the TT helped me in ways that I may not have been able to help myself at the time, I do not think it is an ideal place to try and raise a family.” Ex-member

Hamburg NY - USA

Where do you go during the storms of life?

House in Ithaca NY - USA

The TT is not accountable to the government?

“At the Raid, the state didn't have the right to have the names of the elders and the children to carry out a grossly unlawful scheme.” - Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

TT Merrymakers Caravan

Peace of Mind?

"After you join the community, you do not think, nor do you make decisions. You must submit, the guilt is so strong."-Melinda Horton Former Member

Ithaca NY Community Members - USA

Freedom or Control?

"The Twelve Tribes were certainly controlling my life, in every aspect. I mean they were controlling my physical existence, they were controlling what I did day to day, they were controlling me financially, and in the end they were also controlling my wife and getting information out of her to help control me even more." - Ex-Member from Australia

Nelson Community - Canada

Nelson Mt Sentinel Community - Canada

True Hypcrisy

What prompted me to leave in the end was the hypocrisy that I saw in Christianity was even more so in the Twelve Tribes, because although they would point at Christianity and say, ‘Look at them, they are not loving one another’, what I found within the community, once you really learnt what they were doing is there wasn’t a whole lot of love there, there was a whole lot of fear and there were the people with the haves and the have-nots. And to quote Animal Farm, ‘We are all equal, but some are ore equal than others’, and that’s exactly what I saw in the Twelve Tribes. - Ex-Member for Australia

Truth?

“Our definition of lying means the intentional deception of those who had a right to know.” – Yoneq, “Phase 2 – Lying” 11/29/1988

Gene and Marsha in the Early Days

Happy days in Ashville NC

"Pondering the thought of leaving, I asked a fellow Community leader (Timothy Pendergrass) about the identity of the Elijah. Was John the Baptist the Elijah, the prophet, the children or the adults? Tim handed me a teaching on the subject which I read all night. In the morning I said in a questioning tone this sounds like Gene is the Elijah. Tim responded with “you finally see.” I brought a question to him, I wasn’t saying I see Gene is the Elijah. Gene Spriggs authored the teaching and proclaimed himself the Elijah to come in the last times." Michael Painter left the TT after 18 years.

Religious Cults and Sects » Twelve Tribes / Community of Believers / Messianic Community / Northeast Kingdom Community Church / The New Apostolic Order in Messiah / The Church in Island Pond / The Communities

Twelve Tribes Communities Around the World

Each link below will take you to a write-up of that particular Twelve Tribe Community. This directory is hosted on the "Intentional Communities" website which is a secular organization which also advertises for communities such as "Wild Magic" and an all lesbian community called "She Farm" as well as nudist communes. Yoneq teaches against what he called Christianity "riding on the back of Babylon" so why would the TT become yolked with such an organization? One common theme you will note is a discussion of the "love" they all share and an invitation to "come visit" without any real information about their beliefs (see Truth in Advertising article)